


These Sins

by LuthienLuinwe



Series: Bad Things (Don't) Happen [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, Nightwing (Comics)
Genre: Bad Things Don't Happen, Bad Things Happen Bingo, Dick Made a Mistake, Gen, alfred is doing his best
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2020-01-23 15:48:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18552874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuthienLuinwe/pseuds/LuthienLuinwe
Summary: It was supposed to be an innocent prank.For the Bad Things Happen Bingo prompt "Explosions"





	These Sins

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much to all my Discord friends for supporting me through my increasingly creative ways to use the prompts on my Bad Things Happen Bingo Card. You all are the real MVPS.

It was supposed to be an innocent prank.

At least, that's what Dick tried to tell himself. Anything to erase the past several hours. Anything to forget that all of this was his fault and that everyone knew it, and that he was going to have to live with this guilt for the rest of his life. It... Could have been worse, right? Wasn't that what people tried to say even when a situation seemed utterly hopeless? 

It could always be worse.

That was the mantra he tried to play through his head as he paced the library at the Manor.

It was only a matter of time before Bruce got wind of what had happened. And when Bruce found out?

Oh the situation was about to get hundreds of thousands of times worse.

Dick was a leader. He was supposed to set an example. He should have been  _ better than this _ . Right? But he was still a kid… Well. Not quite. He was living on his own. Working full time… He couldn’t hold on to that excuse anymore.

No. This was on him.

It was all on him.

It had started as an innocent prank.

Dick couldn’t even remember where he’d seen the idea. Probably on Facebook or something. They were always putting random videos on his feed, and well… It had seemed like  _ fun _ . Like it was a harmless, victimless prank.

And so he’d gone to the craft store and he’d bought a giant container of glitter and a business envelope and he’d stuffed it full and stamped it and addressed it and presented it to Alfred, and Alfred had opened it, and…

_ “Honestly, Master Dick! What did you think was going to happen?” Alfred had demanded, throwing his hands in the air, his face a shade of red Dick had never seen it turn before. He’d fucked up. Oh he had certainly fucked up… “Day in and day out I spend my time keeping this generations old home in pristine condition! And you think it appropriate to present me with such… such…” _

_ Alfred had always been a master of words, and to see him rendered all but speechless unsettled Dick in a way that nothing else ever could have.  _

Dick had apologized. And after he had finished apologizing? He had apologized again. Hell. He had even offered to clean up the mess himself, only for Alfred to tell him he had done quite enough already and send him back off to the library to await further instruction.

It… wasn’t like Alfred or Bruce could do anything, right? He was an adult. He lived on his own… 

“What did you think was going to happen, Dick?” Dick jumped up to attention when Bruce stormed in through the door, a glare on his face that he normally reserved for the worst of the Gotham criminals. “Glitter in an envelope?” he demanded, and Dick crossed his arms and bit his tongue to keep from saying something he’d regret. “How old are you?”

“I said I was sorry…” Dick tried to defend. Much as he hated to admit it, deep down he would always be that little kid that wanted nothing more than to make Bruce and Alfred proud of him. And his actions this past afternoon? Definitely didn’t earn him any points in that department. “I offered to help clean up…”

“I’m not the one you need to be apologizing to,” Bruce snapped and pointed toward the door.

Dick sighed and hung his head in shame as he made his way out of the library and back toward the foyer, where Alfred was furiously vacuuming and mopping every last glint of glitter he could find… And with the gaps in the hardwood floor? Dick wondered if the glitter would ever completely be gone. “I really am sorry,” he said. 

“I know you are, Master Dick,” Alfred muttered without looking up from his work. Great. Never a good sign. “You keep saying so.”

“You work hard,” Dick said. “And I thought it would be funny, and I wasn’t thinking, and I was wrong.” He sighed and took the mop from where it lay propped against a wooden paneled wall, following behind Alfred as he vacuumed. “No more surprises.”

“No more surprises,” Alfred agreed with a nod, finally glancing over at Dick. 

It would take time. Dick was certain of that. But he was determined never to let Alfred down again.

**Author's Note:**

> I have challenged myself to make my Bad Things Happen Bingo prompts all turn fluffy, cute, or innocent. I hope you all enjoy the ride as much as I am. Don't worry! I will use the same prompts as they were intended to be used as well!


End file.
